Crack a glow stick to activate the liquid, and place it inside a pumpkin for a spooky effect.

Hammer cookie cutters through the pumpkin using a rubber mallet. Then press through the center to punch the shape out. Such an easy and fast way to create fun shapes without a knife!

For wind-proof lighting, place LED lights inside a glass jar and watch that jack o’lantern glow steadily through the night.

Swap out a permanent marker with a dry erase marker to create goof-free designs. If you mess up or change your mind, it’s as easy as wiping off the ink with a damp paper towel and starting over.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of pumpkin carving is spending all of that time and effort to create an Insta-worthy jack o’lantern only to have it shrivel up or mold a few days later. Solution? Coat the carved edges with petroleum jelly to keep your pumpkin fresher for longer.

If you’re carving the top of your pumpkin, add a notch.

If you’re cutting off the top of your pumpkin, add a v-shaped notch so you’ll always know which way the lid fits back on. Cutting at a slight angle and adding the notch will also prevent the lid from accidentally falling into the pumpkin.

Don’t carve—etch!

Etching pumpkins, the process of removing just the top layers of the pumpkin surface, is much easier than carving all the way through the flesh. Using a linocutter (the one we used is just $10), a tool that’s typically used for carving linoleum tiles, you can easily carve intricate designs. Start by etching carefully around the outline of your design with a thin blade attachment, then switch to a thicker one to etch the center of your design. As you etch, hold your pumpkin steady and keep your hand out of the way of the blade.

Put Vaseline Over Intricate Designs to Keep Them from Curling

Print Out Your Design on Paper, and Poke Holes to Form a Guide

In a large bucket, mix 3 Gallons Water + 3 Teaspoons of Bleach and put your pumpkin in for 2 Minutes. This will help with Slower Rotting